1) Making of the undisputed hero
There was a time, not so long ago, when ice cream for Indian households was a luxurious dessert item. It was that one cameo in Marvel movies that made the whole theatre stand up and cheer. It didn’t have complete screen time. In 1984, Raghunandan Kamath started Naturals, hoping to make ice cream the hero of its own story. In forty years since the artisanal and premium chain of ice cream parlours has given ice cream an entire arena to perform. Results? Naturals has 169 outlets; they produce 6,647 metric tonnes of ice cream, closed FY24 at ₹294.02 crore, and are now the biggest brand in Mumbai and Maharashtra. Here’s the story of the making of that undisputed hero.2) Maintaining legacy
We Indians love our underdogs. We admire their grit in the face of adversities, cheer for them at every milestone, and celebrate their victory like it is one additional day of Diwali. The origin story of Dhannalal Jain and JK Masale Group from our Regional Goliath issue follows the same pattern–a to riches one. From working as a labourer in one of the largest wholesale markets in eastern India to being a middleman in the spice trade to spice trading and finally earning the Jeera King moniker, it follows the efforts of a family and how they became the superheroes of their region.3) Mustering the courage
Bishan Lal Khandelwal founded BL Agro group as a commodity trading business that originated in the pre-independence era. Flagship BL Agro started in 1993 in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, and they launched the mustard oil brand Bail Kolhu in 1994. Today, the brand has captured over 70 percent of the state’s market share. It was not easy for Ashish Khandelwal, managing director of BL Agro, to grow and establish his business as one of the market leaders. His start in the businesses was not unlike the seeds of mustard–crushed and pressed to deliver high-quality outcomes. Here’s an exciting account of the Khandelwal family’s roller coaster ride.
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1) Whipping into shape
Of the many hazards COVID-19 brought is the rise of trading volume in the derivative markets, or Future and Options (F&O) trading by retail individual investors. The increased trading volume in F&O and higher retail investor participation in that segment improved businesses for brokerage firms, exchanges and government. But in this gambling pit, retail investors made a staggering loss of Rs51,689 crore in F&O in FY24 as trade volume increased recklessly. After multiple warnings highlighting the risk of F&O trading, Sebi has now sprung into action, proposing a series of measures to cut speculative trading, curb volume and thereby reduce risks. Here’s a quick analysis of the move and if it will change the landscape.2) Next big VC opportunity
Climake is a four-year-old organisation founded by Simmi Sareen and Shravan Shankar to help develop a private finance ecosystem for climate action in India. As part of their work, Sareen and Shankar compile an annual report on climate finance in India. The State of Climate Finance in India 2024 report says that the focus on climate adaptation in India is further under-represented in policy, finance, and innovation. The contrast is clear regarding investor interest in the segment; the report notes that lifetime investments in all adaptation sectors add up to only $899 million in India. On the other hand, climate mitigation received $4.7 billion in private investments in 2023 alone. Here’s a quick overview of the report and how private money also needs to focus on climate adaptation efforts.3) Tapping the credit opportunity
At a time when some of the Edelweiss group companies had come under scrutiny by the regulator, Edelweiss Alternative Asset Advisors has outpaced growth in retail lending and mutual funds businesses in recent years. The multi-strategy private alternatives business, headed by Edelweiss group’s vice chairman Venkatchalam Ramaswamy, contributed over 8 percent to the consolidated revenue from operations of Edelweiss’s financial services businesses (excluding insurance premiums) in FY24 and has emerged as a powerful varied investment tool for onshore and offshore clients. What is the success mantra of one of the fastest growing businesses of Edelweiss group—with assets under management of $6.8 billion (Rs 57,120 crore)? Let’s find out.4) New style of storytelling
Steven Spielberg’s film Jurassic Park might have infuriated a handful of palaeontologists, but it also inspired countless creators and ironically gave birth to future palaeontologists. It sparked interest in the lost species, brought mass appeal and motivated filmmakers to look at the technologies as new storytelling tools. Namit Malhotra, producer and now CEO of visual effects company DNEG, was one of them. You will not find a movie nerd who has not heard of what DNEG has brought to the storytelling craft. Be it Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Dark Knight, Skyfall, Interstellar, Paddington, Blade Runner 2049, 2.0, Deadpool 2, Avengers: Endgame, 83, Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva, RRR, Oppenheimer, Dune: Part Two, Kalki 2898 AD, you will find DNEG footprint. Here, you can read about Malhotra’s take on the future of storytelling, the role of VFX and animation, and the difference between working in Hollywood and Bollywood.
